Indoor game



Aug. 17, 1943. H s. HO'OVER INDOORGAME Filed May 21, 1942 5 Sheets-Shet 1 1943- H. s. HOOVER 2,326,859

INDOOR GAME Filed May 21, 1942 S Sheets-Sheet 2 1 I IIIIIIIJIIIIIIIIII/II/IlI/IIIIl/l film rm f floovfe INVENTOR- I Aug. 17, 1943. H. s. HoovE INDOOR GAME Filed May 21, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR.

BY (It/{fi 411mm? Y Patented Aug. 17, 1943 H BD S A 5 mnooa GAME g 7 I Harter S. Hoover, Rocky River, Ohio" I: v Application Ma 21, leiaseriai nefeeaessjf 1 Claim. (01. ave-95) This invention is in the field of games of skill usually played indoors, and is intended to be played with golf balls and a putter, or other suitable ball and striking element, for one ormore people, the object being to place the ball into a specific series of receptacles in'accordance with the rules and regulations of whatever game is being played. The mechanical features of my invention are particularly arranged to. enable the players to change from one game tov another by simple rnovements-of certain parts, thereby simulating one or another game, such as gO1f,-fL-l'1d so-on. I r

Further objects and purposes. of my invention include a simple, compact, durable and inexpene 1 sive mechanical construction, easily packed to be. put away when not in use, readily,-simple and various suitable and convenient modifications and changes in detail may be made without departing from the principles of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective showing my game set up for playing;

Fig. 2 is a developed interior detail of one cup,

showing certain marking features;

Fig. 3 is a series of marking details which may be considered as several cup interiors developed. showing possible combinations for different games to be played with my apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 3-4 of Fig. 6, in the direction of the arrows, but including certain interior features not necessarily included in the form for Figs. 1 and 6;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section perpendicular to the surface of the game board, as indicated by line and arrows 5+5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is'a plan view of the game, on a plane inclined to the floor; and

Fig. 7 is a View corresponding to Fig, 6 but with the catch board removed so as to show the optional ball return and signal mechanism.

My game apparatus comprises a box which is set up in an inclined position on the floor for.

playing, as shown in Fig. 1. A top or catch board I, sunkbelow the upper edges of the sides 2 carries .a series of upright rings 01. cups 3, 4, 5, 6 and l', on'the. longitudinal center line ofthe apparatus, successively tangent to one another and'hence each braced bythe next againstdis the back 8 of the box, a brace board. i5 notched,

to fit'the ring,'iS attached to the back,thus:serving both as a; back brace forthe series of rings andto keep balls from lodgingbehind the ring 7., The front ring} is preferably held in placeby a block. it of generally crescent shape, with a flat upper plate I? of the same shape, sloped backward so as to deliver a ball through the hole 9 in the upper part of the area defined by the ring. The ring 3 can be rotated, around this block. A front brace board. It, notched in the middle as at it also holds the ring 3. Return openings 2c and 2i are cut through the catch board I at the front corners to allow balls which miss the rings to fall through. These openings are of sufiicient size not to,' leave any shelves on which balls could stay. p

The box bottom 20 is spaced far enoughbelow the catch board i to allow a ball falling through any of the holes to roll freely therebeneath down to an upright ball return board 22 which guides all balls It to an outlet'opening 23, so that all which have been played will be brought to gether at one place as shown in Fig. 1, thus facilitating scoring of some games. Side and back curtains 24 and 25 suitably supported by re{ 1 movable poles 26 catch balls which would go over the sides 2.

If it is desired to have audiblersignalsiac tuated by balls falling into the various cups, upright guide boards 27 and-28, Figs. 4, 5and '7,

can be used between the catch board I and the bottom 28 to holdthe balls in a path where they will roll under triggers 21 each carrying a tapper 28, each'trigger adapted to be raised by a ball running under it and to have the tapper fall back and strike'a bell 29A, 29B, 29C, 29D, or 23E as the case'may be, each bell preferably ringing a different note so as to give a musical effect and an auditory. means of counting the score. Bumpers such as 30.3! on opposite sides of the passage, of such thickness as just to allow passage of a ball, give a zig-zag course to the ball, thus slowing its down run so as to cause an appreciable time lag between successive bell signals.

My apparatus as so far described is suitable for games which can be played indoors with golf balls by chip shots, such as with a No. 5 iron, for example. For a putting game a jump hoard 3| is laid from thetcp edge of the front 32 of the box to the floor, asshown in Fig, 1, giving an inclined runway. Preferably this jump board has a sharply upwardly inclined top lip 33 to make the balljump, thereby curving the flight of the ball so thatit will fall into one or am high enough up to be visible to players;-so that by turning all the'rings a difierent -sequence of numbersicanbeiexposed, thus adapting myabparatus to be used for. playing various games. The developed inner surface of ring 1 is shown in Fig. 2, with score markings thereon, 9, .25, 1 and.300. InrF-igx3 the score markings only are shown for the entire series of five rings, those for each ring being in "a liorizontal line and'indicated by the reference character for'th'e particular ring, the sequence of rings from bottom to top' beingthe same as inFig. '1: Thus when the'rings are arranged to display 'the'numerals of the fourth-column of Fig.3 at theb'a'ck of each my game i's' set up for regular golf'sbon ing, the numbers iii-this instance representing :the yardage attained onfsho'ts in outdoor 'golf.

By turning each ring 90 the series of scoring numerals in the next to last column will be displayed, and so on. The balls all roll out on the floor at the same place, and by allowing them to remain there, the number of balls which have been played can always be seen at a glance.

To pack up my game apparatus the back leg is removed, the jump board 3| is lifted oh, the

curtains 24, 25 and sticks 25 are taken off,the rings 3 to I are lifted off their holders, the catch b'oard l is removed, the curtains, sticks, rings and jump board are put inside the box, and the catch boardlis then inverted and laid on top of the brace boards I5 and I9 as a lid for the box.

'Having described a preferred embodiment of gameapparatus, together with certain modific'atibr'ig thereof, I wish it to be understood that this description isiby way of exemplification, not

of limitation, and that my invention is susceptible o'ffiiodification in details, all within the scope of the appended claim.

I -claini:,, ,v j in a ball gameapparatus comprising in combination a pluralityofv ringsof substantial height arranged in longitudinaliangential succession on an'inclined board; surrounded by walls lower than ring height, holding elements for said rings comprisingboards atsaidtfront and rear walls, each notched and thereby engaging upper portions of the front and rear rings, respectively, .of the so,- ries, a supplemental h'olderfor the front ring comprising a lunetteof less area thanis defined by the ring and over which the ring rotatably fits, isaid lune'ttebein attached to the inclined boardyand having an upper surface inclined oppositely to the iboard, and aball escape opening through the board where the lunette surface joins the board surface; .l

' Maren s. noovaa. 

